The 26-year-old rapper died on Friday (September 7) after his body was found unresponsive in his San Fernando Valley home. He is suspected to have overdosed, but no official cause of death has been confirmed at present.

“I always thought I’d be the one to help him get clean and to lead him on to the path of a good, clean, sober life,” Puth told E! News. “We talked almost every day and I don’t get a lot of friends who come into my life who I hit it off with so quickly.”

Puth also explained why he texted Miller after he heard of his death. “Every time someone close to me passes away I always text their phone and I don’t know why I do this often,” he said. “I just wrote ‘I love you man’ and I knew he wasn’t going to write back but I just felt like I had to do it anyway.”

I can’t keep losing friends like this…I wish I spent more time with you these past weeks…I’m so sorry… rip MAC…you wrote the soundtrack to my college years and I’m so happy I got to know you…this sucks this really really sucks.

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Miller released his last album ‘Swimming’ in July. In a four-star review, NME called it his “best work in years” and said: “This album shows his growth as both an artist, and as a person who’s had to deal with the most private aspects of their life being publicly dissected. It’s a stellar artistic statement.”